We reflect on the life and legacy of Sam Solomon (1954-2025) after his memorial service
This week around 150 people gathered in Kensington Temple for a Memorial Service to thank God for the life of Sam Solomon. Dozens of people gave tributes to Sam’s extraordinary impact on their lives. Several of these tributes were by video from places such as Nigeria, Nepal, the Netherlands, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the United States. There are no photos of the service for security reasons, which serves to illustrate the kinds of dangers that converts from Islam continue to have to live with.
A short sketch of Sam Solomon’s life and ministry
Sam grew up in Sudan where he spent fifteen years training as an imam and then as an Islamic jurist. Somehow, he got hold of a Bible which he managed to secretly store in his home and read. It was reading the scriptures which caused his radical conversion from Islam to Christianity. For his conversion he paid a high price, being imprisoned, interrogated and sentenced to death for apostacy under Islamic law. He managed to flee his country with nothing but the sandals on his feet, leaving his family, his friends, and everything he knew.
Settling in the UK he became a prophetic voice warning of the dangers of the increasing influence of Islam in Britain. He foresaw sharia courts, Islamic banking, grooming gangs, Islamic schools, and the use of mosques as bases for radicalisation. While many politicians did listen to his warnings, not enough did. Sam testified before U.S. Congress and served as a consultant to parliamentarians in Britain and elsewhere. He travelled extensively to many countries sharing his expertise on Islamic law and teaching.
Alongside Andrea Williams and Pastor Ade Omooba MBE, he was instrumental in campaigning to ensure robust free speech protections were kept in the Religious Hatred Act 2006. This led to the establishment of Christian Concern as an independent organisation in 2008, where he served as Islamic Affairs advisor, speaking frequently at events and in churches. Those who heard him speak will scarcely forget it. He would recite the Qur’an from memory in Arabic with immense authority before reciting an English translation also from memory and then explaining the meanings. He spoke with great poise, drama and authority. He shone most in Q&A sessions when his encyclopaedic knowledge of Islam could be fully displayed.
We learned in the memorial service of how he protected 65,000 Nigerian Christians from slaughter at the hands of Islamists. But also, how he personally intervened and helped a family retrieve their son after he was taken captive by child traffickers. We heard from many people who regarded Sam as a mentor and a friend. Lots of people who believed Sam was their special friend who they could call up at any time, who now realise that he had this kind of relationship with many others. Many people testified to his generosity of time and with relationships, and his humility in not seeking attention or recognition. The full impact of his remarkable life and ministry, much of which was carried out in secret, will not be fully known until eternity.
A legacy of landmark publications
Sam Solomon’s legacy continues in his publications which I have listed and described below. Some of them were originally published pseudonymously. In addition to these works, many other works by other authors were edited or checked by Sam for accuracy, including my own books and articles. The publications listed below are all ground-breaking, landmark titles which remain relevant, and in fact are increasing in relevance as the influence of Islam increases in the West.
The Mosque
Sam Solomon’s most widely read publication was The Mosque and Its Role in Society. This short booklet, written pseudonymously, exposes the Islamic understanding of the role of the mosque for providing a building block for the spread of Islam and even as a base for jihad. This booklet was widely distributed as part of the successful campaign to stop the building of a mega-mosque in Newham, London. This mosque would have housed 70,000 people, making it three times as big as St Paul’s Cathedral, and was backed by radical group Tablighi Jamaat. Distribution of this booklet to politicians and members of the local community was a significant factor in mobilising opposition to the mega-mosque.
Charter of Muslim Understanding
Sam Solomon wrote A Proposed Charter of Muslim Understanding in 2007 which can be downloaded for free. This was presented to the European Parliament by Gerard Batten, MEP. This was a ground-breaking attempt to show how moderate Muslims could commit to eradicating the use of violence or terrorism to advance the cause of Islam.
The Doctrine of Immigration
In 2009, Sam wrote Al-Hijra: The Islamic Doctrine of Immigration. This book exposes how Islam intentionally uses immigration to expand the influence of Islam. The relevance of this book has only increased over time as Islamic immigration has expanded throughout Europe. Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands (now the largest party in the Dutch parliament), endorsed the book, stating: “I hope that every person in the Western world reads it, including the sleeping political elite. This book should bring about a much needed awakening.”
The Truth about A Common Word
Also in 2009, Sam wrote The Truth about A Common Word which can be downloaded for free. This was a response to the much publicised A Common Word between Us and You which was a document launched in 2007 as an Open Letter to the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and various other Christian leaders, signed by over 100 Islamic scholars. It claimed that Muslims and Christians worship the same God and share in common the principles of love of God and love of neighbour. It was welcomed by then Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and by Pope Benedict.
Over 300 Christian scholars signed an open letter in response welcoming the initiative. Signatories to this letter included: George Verwer, John Stott, Jim Wallis, Rick Warren, Christopher Wright, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Miroslav Volf, Colin Chapman, Timothy George, Leith Anderson, Richard Mouw, Scott McKnight, and many others. The Truth about A Common Word criticises these Christian leaders for uncritically accepting points made in the letter, for agreeing that Islamic teaching encourages “love of God and love of neighbour”, for attributing the title ‘Prophet’ to Mohammed, and for apologising for the Crusades.
As Colin Dye wrote in the Preface:
The Response does not seem to be aware that “the love of God and love of neighbour” taught in the Bible and championed by Christ, cannot be supported by even one surah in the Qur’an. Thus, though the Common Word appears to put forward true common ground between Islam and Christianity, and purports to be an invitation to seek even more common ground through dialogue – it is in fact a patchwork of partial Qur’anic and Biblical references designed to give an illusion of a commonality worthy of Shakespeare’s frequent treatment of appearance and reality in which he demonstrates that “oft, things are not what they seem…”.
Comparison of Shari’ah Law and English Law
Also in 2009, together with Kathryn Wakeling, Sam put together a comparison table of Shari’ah Law and English Law together with Kathryn Wakeling for a debate in parliament. This useful table can be freely downloaded and provides a very helpful comparison showing the very clear and stark differences of approach between Shari’ah Law and English Law.
Antisemitism in Islam
Then in 2010, Sam wrote Al-Yahud: Eternal Islamic Enmity and the Jews. This book exposes just how much antisemitism there is in Islamic teaching, both in the Qur’an and the Hadith. Professor Bat Ye’or said: “This masterpiece provides a mine of information on the Islamic challenge to Western survival, and should be read by everyone.”
Not the Same God
In 2015, Sam, together with Atif Debs, published Not the Same God: Is the Qur’anic Allah the Lord God of the Bible? This book systematically rebuts the claim that Allah and the God of the Bible are the same god.
Michael Horton, Professor of Theology at Westminster Seminary said:
There is very little that addresses the real doctrinal issues at the very heart of the relationship between Christianity and Islam. There have been notable attempts to find commonality that amounts to “the same God plus Jesus.” Solomon shows us directly from the primary sources how far this is from any faithful representation of either religion. This is a very important book.
Islamisation through halal
Finally, in 2019 Sam published a report on Islamisation through Halal products which can be freely downloaded.
The introduction states:
The aim of Islam is to create a supreme worldview, whereby all other laws come under Islamic law. Halal food markets, Islamic dress markets, Sharia-compliant finance and banking, Islamic education, Sharia courts, etc., are all part and parcel of a unified, multifaceted socio-political-religious process deployed to transform the existing society from a civil/liberal/secular/pluralistic society into an Islamic society. The envisioned Islamic society would be a society whereby Islam is supreme over all other worldviews, both secular and religious, and whereby the civil/liberal/secular law is subservient to Islamic law.
The report concludes with some policy recommendations and an appendix of relevant fatwas on the supremacy of the Sharia and halal foods.
We do not grieve as the world grieves
The world has lost a mighty prophet who boldly spoke the truth about Islam at great cost and put his life at risk. Many people have lost a mentor, many others have lost a friend, and the family have lost a father, a husband, and a grandfather. But “we do not grieve as others do who have no hope.” 1 Thess 4:13. Sam is at peace now with the saviour he loved. One day, those of us who know the Lord will join him.
In the meantime, we pray that God will raise up other voices to courageously expose the truth about Islam. Sam was a role model. Sam had an incredible impact for God in more ways than many of us can even imagine. His legacy continues through his publications and the work of Christian Concern and other organisations. May the church heed his warnings more after his death than they did in his life.
